In Vanity Fair, Michael Lewis writes about the Department of Energy under President Trump. The department’s responsibilities include protecting the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The story is fascinating, scary and well worth your time.

Here’s the news:

Politics

N.J. Sen. Cory Booker (D) introduced a bill to legalize cannabis federally. It would entitle federal prisoners serving time for pot offenses to a sentencing hearing and incentivize similar reforms at the state level. The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law.

Booker defended the bill in an op-ed: “The enforcement of marijuana laws have too often led to a sacrifice of our values, our safety, and the potential of millions of Americans.”

Sessions has declined to release recommendations from his task force on marijuana enforcement. “We’ll make announcements on policy changes when we have announcements to make,” a Justice Department spokesperson told HuffPost.

Following a Washington Post report, Maryland is looking into potential conflicts of interest between MED license applicants and application evaluators. Maryland State senators rejected calls for a special session to discuss racial bias in awarding licenses.

Kanye West is suing insurance companies for refusing to pay at least $9.8M in claims after he cancelled much of his 2016 Saint Pablo tour. West’s touring company says the Lloyd’s of London affiliated insurers claim without evidence that West’s marijuana use could have contributed to the “debilitating medical condition” and invalidate his claims.

Nevada gambling regulations do not address players visibly impaired by cannabis. Casinos are now asking the Trump administration whether they must file documents known as Suspicious Activity Reportsfor players known or suspected to be supported by cannabis businesses.

A study by Brightfield Group and HelloMD found 42% of CBD users stop using traditional medications like Tylenol and Vicodin. (Disclosure: HelloMD has advertised in WeedWeek.)

Martin A. Lee, director of the non-profit Project CBD, sums up new findings presented at the International Cannabinoid Research Society conference in Montreal. Presenters included scientists from the U.K., Israel and Brazil.

More people in the U.K. are dying from ecstasy, cocaine and heroin overdoses.

New Hampshire lawmakers took umbrage with President Trump’s description of the state as a “drug-infested den” in a conversation with Mexico’s president.

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Criminal Justice

A Minnesota judge will allow criminal trials to proceed against two former employees of MED company Vireo who are accused of driving $500,000 worth of oil to New York to meet a production deadline. The former employees have pleaded not guilty.

The war on drugs never ended, Fair Punishment Project fellow Carimah Townes argues in Slate. Townes says it’s up to state and local prosecutors to end it.

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